1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing polymer particles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polymer particles are produced by various polymerization methods such as suspension polymerization, emulsion polymerization, and precipitation polymerization. Among these polymerization methods, suspension polymerization is industrially widely used as, for example, a method for producing a polymerized toner because a functional substance such as a coloring material can be easily included in polymer particles.
Recently, the area of study regarding a technique for controlling the molecular weight of polymer particles has been activated. For example, a method is known in which living radical polymerization such as atom transfer radical polymerization or reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization is combined with suspension polymerization. However, from the standpoint of problems of, for example, a remaining catalyst, safety and sanitation, and the cost, at present, it is difficult to industrially use many of such living radical polymerization methods.
As a method capable of easily controlling the molecular weight at a low cost, International Publication No. WO 2008/003728 (Patent Literature 1) and Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes, Romain Severac, and Bernard Boutevin, Macromolecules, 2005, Vol. 38, pp. 6299-6309 (Non-Patent Literature 1) disclose a method performed by using suspension polymerization and reverse iodine transfer polymerization in combination.
Jeff Tonner, Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes, and Bernard Boutevin, Macromolecules, 2007, Vol. 40, pp. 186-190 (Non-Patent Literature 2) discloses a method of producing polymer particles, the method being performed by using suspension polymerization and reverse iodine transfer polymerization in combination, in which molecular-weight controllability and the polymerization conversion rate are improved by adding hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid in an aqueous phase.